UNKNOWN FRAGMENT
Zyrion walked along the riverbank, his mind restless after the recent encounters with the Zykrath Nolthem. With every step, the sound of the flowing water seemed to calm him, though he felt something else pulling at him an urge he couldn't ignore. Kyrahna and Karion were a bit farther behind, arguing over who had the worst aim with a bow, while Caelithra followed in silence, watching him with her usual critical gaze.
"What are you looking for, Zyrion?" Kyrahna asked as she hopped from stone to stone in the river, trying her best not to get her boots wet.
"I'm not sure. I just feel… something here," Zyrion replied, stopping to stare at the crystal-clear water rushing between the rocks.
Karion let out a laugh as he tossed a flat stone into the river, trying to make it skip. "Something? Oh, sure! Maybe it's a magical fish wanting to give us advice on how not to get into trouble."
Caelithra ignored him completely, focusing instead on how Zyrion crouched down, his eyes locked on a specific point in the water. She frowned. "What is it, Zyrion? You seem… strange."
He didn't respond right away. The river reflected the sunlight, and beneath the crystal-clear water, something was glowing. A faint light subtle, but impossible to ignore.
"I think there's something here," Zyrion murmured as he knelt by the riverbank, reaching toward the water.
Kyrahna approached, frowning. "What is it? Some shiny rock? A very silver-looking fish?"
"Shh," Zyrion said without taking his eyes off the shimmer. "I don't know what it is, but I'm going to find out."
Karion crossed his arms, smirking. "Great. Another adventure we jump into without knowing what we're doing. Classic."
Zyrion ignored him and plunged his hand into the water. The moment his fingers touched the object, a chilling cold shot through his arm. Immediately, the glow intensified, illuminating the area around them.
"Zyrion, wait!" Caelithra shouted, but it was already too late.
He pulled the object from the water a fragment. It seemed smaller than the others they had seen before, but it was different. It had no fixed color; it shifted between white and silver tones, pulsing as if it were alive.
The moment he held it, his eyes turned completely white, and his body went rigid. A beam of white light shot down from the sky, striking him with such force that the ground trembled and the others shielded their eyes.
"Zyrion!" Kyrahna screamed as she ran toward him.
Caelithra, abandoning her usual cold demeanor for the first time, rushed forward in alarm. "Tell me you're okay! Zyrion, answer me!"Her voice carried something she had never shown before genuine concern.
Zyrion didn't move. His body was still engulfed in the light, his hair lifting as if charged with electricity.
"What's happening?!" Karion shouted, trying to get closer, only to be thrown back by a wave of energy.
Caelithra fell to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she tried to touch him, but the light pushed her back. "Zyrion, wake up! You can't leave us now!"
Suddenly, the beam vanished, and Zyrion collapsed, gasping for breath. His eyes returned to normal, but they looked empty, as if he'd seen something beyond this world.
"Zyrion, talk to me," Caelithra said, her voice still shaking.
He blinked several times, dazed. "I'm… I'm fine," he said weakly.
"Are you sure?" Kyrahna asked, looking closely at him, uncertainty written across her face.
"Yes. It's just… something happened when I touched that fragment."
Caelithra crossed her arms, regaining her serious attitude. "What did you see? What did you feel?"
Zyrion pressed a hand to his head. "I don't know. It was like… someone was speaking to me, but not with words. Images, emotions… something ancient, something powerful."
Karion let out an exaggerated sigh. "Great. Now we have a Zyrion who hears voices. This keeps getting better."
"Karion, not now," Kyrahna said, elbowing him.
Caelithra stared at Zyrion, her gaze fixed on his. "Don't ever do something that reckless without warning us again."
"Oh? Are you worried about me, Caelithra?" Zyrion asked with a faint smile, trying to lighten the mood.
She quickly turned away, slipping back into her cold tone. "I just don't want you to die and ruin our mission."
Zyrion slowly stood up, holding the fragment carefully. "Whatever this is, it's clear it's not a normal fragment. But I don't know what power it holds yet."
Kyrahna nodded. "Then we should be careful. If this has anything to do with the Zykrath Nolthem or Umbraek, we can't take it lightly."
Caelithra eyed the fragment with suspicion. "You should keep it hidden. We don't know who might be looking for something like that."
Zyrion tucked the fragment into an inner pocket of his cloak. "Alright. No one else can know I have it. Not until we figure out what it is."
They continued walking, but the atmosphere had changed. Caelithra kept giving Zyrion furtive glances, and though she tried to keep her expression neutral, her actions had already exposed the brief crack in her usual coldness.
Hidden in a shadowed corner of the forest, a cloaked figure observed the group as they moved away. His face was concealed beneath a black hood, but a faint smile curved across his lips.
"The first step has been taken. The choosing has begun," he whispered before disappearing into the darkness.
The group walked in silence, an uneasy air surrounding them. Zyrion led the way, though his steps were slower than usual, as if the fragment's impact still weighed on him. Caelithra followed closely, watching his back, while Kyrahna and Karion whispered among themselves, trying to ease the tension with small comments.
"Don't you think he looks a little… different?" Kyrahna whispered, glancing at Zyrion.
"Different how? Like he just saw a dancing dragon? Because he definitely has that 'I don't know what's going on' face," Karion replied with a playful smirk.
"I'm being serious, Karion," Kyrahna said, nudging him. "There's something strange about him since he touched that fragment. Like he's more… distant."
Karion raised his brows dramatically. "Distant? Maybe because he literally got struck by lightning and lived. I'd be a little distracted too."
While they muttered, Caelithra spoke up without turning around. "Lower your voices. He can hear you."
Karion scoffed but complied. "So observant, Caelithra. Maybe you should join the Zykrath Nolthem as a spy."
"Karion, do you ever speak seriously?" Caelithra shot back.
"I wouldn't be nearly as charming if I did," he said proudly.
Meanwhile, Zyrion seemed to ignore them. His mind was filled with fragmented memories visions he couldn't fully understand. Something about them felt familiar, like they belonged to a life he didn't remember living. His hand instinctively touched the pocket where the fragment rested, feeling its pulsing energy almost like a heartbeat.
Suddenly, Caelithra broke the silence.
"Zyrion. Stop."
He turned, confused. "What's wrong?"
She pointed toward an opening in the forest. "You've been walking without direction for a while. You have no idea where you're taking us."
Kyrahna frowned. "Caelithra, he's fine. He just needs time to process what happened."
"I don't understand you," Caelithra said, crossing her arms. "Why are you acting like nothing happened? You got struck by a beam of light. Your eyes changed. You touched something we clearly don't understand, and you're here acting like it's nothing."
Zyrion took a deep breath. "It's not that I don't care, Caelithra. It's just… I don't know how to explain it. Something happened when I touched that fragment. I don't understand it yet, but I can't ignore it."
Caelithra stared intensely at him. "And what if whatever happened kills you? Do you ever think about that?"
Zyrion blinked, surprised by her tone. "Are you worried about me, Caelithra?"
She quickly looked away, discomfort flickering across her face. "I don't want your recklessness to get us all killed. That's all."
Kyrahna stepped in, hoping to defuse the moment. "Alright, we're all tense. Let's rest a bit, eat something, and think clearly."
"Good idea," Karion said, raising his hands. "I need to recover after using so much sarcasm."
As they set up a small camp, Zyrion sat apart, staring at the fragment in his hands. It was small, but its energy was vast like it held unimaginable power.
Kyrahna sat beside him, her tone gentle. "What are you thinking about, Zyrion?"
"About what Caelithra said," he replied. "She's right. This could be dangerous—not just for me, but for all of us."
"Then why keep it?"
Zyrion looked at the fragment, determination in his eyes. "Because I feel like it has a purpose. Something that could change everything."
Caelithra, watching from a short distance, listened quietly. A storm of thoughts churned inside her. She hated admitting it, but Zyrion wasn't like the others. There was something about him that made her doubt her usual coldness.
A soft breeze swept through the forest, bringing an unusual calm with it. Zyrion tucked the fragment away, resolute.
"Whatever this is," he said as he stood, "I'll figure it out. And when I do, I'll make sure its power protects everyone not destroys."
Kyrahna smiled, while Karion raised a hand theatrically. "Very heroic, Zyrion. Want me to write a poem about it?"
"Please don't," Zyrion said with a small laugh.
Deep within an ancient temple, a mural began to glow. It depicted a young man with white eyes, holding a fragment shining like a thunderbolt. Above him, a shadowy figure watched with eyes full of hatred.
A soft voice echoed through the air, barely audible:"The bearer of the lost fragment has been chosen. But his destiny… is yet to be written."
TO BE CONTINUED…